Daily Encouragement

March 15, 2009 - Faith In And Through Jesus

Meditation on Acts 3

At a prayer meeting, 3 pm, Peter and John healed a lame beggar at the gate of the temple. People were amazed and wondering what caused the disciples to perform this miracle. Using this great opportunity, Peter preached a sermon to exalt Jesus whom the people were responsible for His crucifixion. But God had raised Jesus from the dead. He explained, "And His name, through faith in his name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all." (v. 16 NKJV)

The lame man was healed because of the faith in the name of Jesus as well as the faith comes through Jesus. Praise Him! In the name of Jesus there is power. He is the great I AM. He can save and heal. We can trust in His name.

But we must admit that sometimes we do not even have faith at all. God knows our weakness. He can grant faith to us through Jesus. For Jesus are the author and finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2) So we can look to Him and ask Him to give us faith to trust in Him too.

Are you willing to ask Him today? He will grant you the faith to the degree of accomplishing His will in your life. He loves you and His will is perfect in all circumstances. However you must first repent and be converted so that your sins can be forgiven as Peter said. (v. 19) Then the Messiah will bless you. (v. 26)

March 16, 2009 - The Servant Model

Meditation on Acts 4

It is interesting to notice how the first church emphasized servanthood. King David was called servant. (v. 25) And Jesus was referred as servant Jesus twice. (v. 27, 30) They call themselves servants in prayers. (v. 29)

The Messiah was the servant of God who fulfilled the servant passages in Isaiah 52 and 53. His name was Jesus and "...there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (v. 12 NKJV) Through His name, the sick was cured and lame could walk, and signs and wonders may be done. Yet He was called the holy servant Jesus.

I have also learned from a servant model recently in a pastor's conference. We were served by many members of this church who hosted this huge conference. They served breakfasts, lunches, drinks, and snacks... etc. with joy and great courtesy. They even shined our shoes for no cost! These were highly educated and professional people young and middle age. They took off from their own work during those three days in order to just serve us. I was overwhelmed, needless to say.

Yes Jesus washed the disciples' feet. How we, his disciples ought to serve each other with humility.

March 17, 2009 - God's Protection

Meditation on Acts 5

God protected the growth of His church. In verses one to twelve of Acts 5, there was a couple who pretended to give all their property to the church like some others. In order to expose hypocrisy in the first church, Peter said to each of them publicly that they had not lied to men but to the Holy Spirit. Both husband and wife died instantly at separate time.

Jesus the head of the church certainly would take step to prevent corruption of His church. As a result, God's presence and power continued to be with the church. (v. 12-16)

When the religious leaders used the governmental power to arrest the apostles and put them in jail. God's angels went to rescue them and let them out of jail to allow them to preach the Gospel. God's protection confounded the authority. (v. 17-33)

The religious authority wanted to kill the apostles after their public trial; however God used a well respected scholar to speak up for them. Gamaliel was the most revered Rabbi at that time according to history. He cautioned the leaders not to attack those who may be doing the work of God but to let them go. (v. 34-42)

Jesus would protect His own church as long as we remain true to Him.

According to Galatians 3, all Christians, whether Jew or Gentile, are one in Christ and we can all receive the blessings of Abraham. Therefore we can safely say that God's protection upon Israel should also be upon all Christians as a whole who are the church. (Psalm 121)

March 18, 2009 - The Church Needs Servants

Meditation on Acts 6

There were problems in the first church of Jerusalem. Numbers of disciples were multiplying. Cultural discrimination began to appear. Widows were neglected. The apostles did not have enough time to pray and prepare preaching.

The twelve asked the congregation to choose others to serve the special needs of the church. These were to serve tables meaning to serve food as well as managing donation to help the poor.

These servants of the church needed to have the following qualification: full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. (v. 4) What? Servers in the church needed to be filled with the Spirit and wisdom? Yes, these were the only people who had the servant attitude as well as blessed by the wisdom of God to deal with different kinds of people with sensitivity.

After the election of these servants all with Greek names who were able to minister to the Hellenists who made the complain, the church grew a lot faster. Even the conservative priests were saved.

Are we willing to be servants in the church today?

March 19, 2009 - Martyr For Christ

Meditation on Acts 7

Stephen was the first martyr for Jesus during the early church. He was arrested and accused by the council in Jerusalem for blasphemy against the temple and the customs of Moses. He stood up to defend himself through the Holy Spirit. At the same time, he pointed out the history of the Jew's rejection of God's anointed. Their ancestors rejected Joseph because of Jealousy. The generation of Exodus rejected Moses in the wilderness. "Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecuted? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it." (v. 52-53 NKJV), Stephen concluded . The crowd pushed him out of the city and stoned him to death. He died while testifying for Jesus. But before he died, he manifested a most valuable character of a Christian, forgiveness. (Matthew 6:12, 18:20-35) For He cried out, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin", learning from Jesus' statement on the cross.

It has been said that the numbers of martyrs in the twentieth century was more than the last nineteen centuries combined. The trend does not seem to stop in this 21st century.

Jesus said in John 10:10a, "The thief does come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy..." Satan is stepping up his attack on the servants of God around the world through one way or another.

Just on the 8th of this month, a choice servant, Fred Winters was killed while he was preaching in the 8:15 a.m. worship of First Baptist Church of Maryville in Illinois by a gun man. His wife Cindy released this touching statement later that her husband "died doing what he loved -- communicating the hope found in Jesus Christ. God is so much bigger than this situation and our hope and trust is in Him."

May we pray for the Winters’ family and his church as well for the thousands of victims of persecution around the world today.

March 20, 2009 – The Power Of A Layman

Meditation on Acts 8

Philip had to leave his home town due to the great persecution in Jerusalem. In this tough time, he was more dedicated to God than ever. He went to a city with different culture, Samaria to proclaim the Christ. This Spirit filled layman, a table server for the church had led many people to Christ. God used him to cast out demons as well as bring healing to many. As a result, a church was planted in Samaria and there was great joy in the city. Peter and John had to come down to confirm this church and strengthen them because this layman took the lead to bring the Gospel to the next town.

Philip obeyed the leading of the Lord wherever he went. He left the wonderful church he planted to go to the Gaza desert. On the road, he led an important Ethiopian official to the Lord. That probably became the first link to bring the Gospel to the continent of Africa.

Later we found Philip continuing in his preaching and settled down in a beach city, Caesarea, raising four daughters who were also preachers. There he had entertained Paul, Luke and company. What a Christian man.

We can find great numbers of laymen and laywomen today who are the instruments of God to build great churches and ministries everywhere. No pastor can be successful without them. Sometimes, the lay evangelists are more efficient and effective than the professionals because of the environment or political situation. We praise and thank God for them.

March 21, 2009 - From Prosecutor To Preacher

Meditation on Acts 9

Saul was a prosecutor against early Christians dragging them to jails. In fact he was a persecutor who was among those who consented to Stephen's death.

But on the road to Damascus, he was blinded by a shining light from heaven. He heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting me?" "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. And the voice replied, "I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!" (v. 3-5 New Living Translation)

When a person is persecuting Christians, he is persecuting Jesus Himself. Jesus will deal with the persecutor one way or another. The book of Revelation indicated that Jesus will revenge for His saints.

In the case of Saul, he was led to the city of Samaria. And Jesus sent a disciple name Ananias to heal him because Saul had seen and believed in Jesus. Instantly something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he regained his sight. (v. 17-18) Saul then was commissioned by Jesus through Ananias to be a missionary for Jesus. After he regained his strength, he began preaching about Jesus immediately.

We need more courageous people like Ananias who dared to confront and pray for Christian haters today as the Holy Spirit so leads. God can use us to witness to a prosecutor of Christians and turn him into a preacher.